Remember Who You Are

Instead of going out and drinking, I had a different plan on celebrating this new stepping stone in my life. Last minute, a friend and I drove in the middle of the night towards the Grand Canyon in order to hike down to the famous Havasupai.

It was 5am when we reached a Walmart to stop and stock up on food and water for the next 3 days. We laid in the car to create a check list of items we need then realized how exhausted we were. 30-minute nap we agreed. No big deal. 3 hours later, I woke up and there were people looking into our car while they walk by. I must say, with our bags in the back seat and blankets over our heads it looked like we were living out of our car. And honestly, we loved every second of it. We got out of the car, checked each other if we smelled, and high fived for being us. 2 hours later, we have arrived. Havasupai trail head. We put on our backpacks and was ready for the 10-mile adventure ahead of us.

The trip was full of laughter, vulnerability, and jello legs.

One late night, we left our campsite and decided to go star gazing next to Havasu Falls. The view was breath taking. Thousands of stars in the sky, all twinkling at different points. The moon light was showing off the beauty of the falls. And not a person in sight. Perfection. The only word to describe our view.

While I laid there making a wish on each shooting star I saw, a thought came to me. This is who I am. This is what makes me feel alive

The last four months, I lost sight of who I was due to the amount of stress I was under. I was stuck. School kept me in one area with one mindset, graduate. Nothing else mattered. Laying there on the bench with specks of water landing on my face from the falls made me realize how free I was. I was back to doing what I loved. Last minute trips, sleeping in cars, hiking over 40 miles, etc. Nothing controlling me, holding me back, or telling me no. I was back to being free.

I learned many people experience the feeling of not knowing who they are after college. We were defined by our academics, our jobs, our title, etc. Once that is taken away, what was left?

Remember who you are deep down. Without the fluff life adds. When life gets stressful or not going according to plan, remember the passion inside of your heart. It is important to take a break from the world and find yourself again. We get so consumed of the fast pace life and routine every one is living that we forget to stop and look around. Constant stress and negativity is not healthy. It is a sign that we are missing something. Something inside of our souls that caused us to shift. Detach from the world and take the time to find you again. Life is an adventure, live it as one.

P.S.

I will be leaving to Asia the 17th of May for a whole month. I will be journalling my entire trip from the crazy beach parties in Thailand to climbing multiple temples in Cambodia. Keep up with my adventures on Instagram as I will be constantly updating you where I am!

Instagram: Maryykaii

“Live like free people. But don’t use your freedom to cover up evil. Live like people who serve God”